Guide bar swinging motion for a raschel knitting machine



April 278, 1970 I K. KOHL 3,508,419

GIIIDEI BAR SWINGING MOTION FOR A RA'S'CHEIJ KNITTING MACHINE Filed June 25, 19 68 INVENTORI R KOHI.

United States Patent US. CI. 66-86 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The guide bar hanger of a raschel machine is suspended from the machine frame by a pair of pivots on the hanger and a pair of pivots on the frame, and links connecting the pivots in a four-bar linkage or parallelogram suspension. The arrangement permits more guide bars to be used effectively than the conventional, pivotally mounted hanger.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to raschel knitting machines, and particularly to an improvement in guide bar swinging motions for such a machine.

It has been common practice heretofore to mount the hangers for the guide bars of a raschel knitting machine on a shaft and to rock the shaft to produce the swinging motion of the yarn guides back and forth through the rows of knitting needles. The yarn guides are mounted on a hanger in such a manner that they converge substantially toward a point. When 30 or more guide bars are used, it is unavoidable that the guides on the outermost bars are almost horizontal, that is, perpendicular to the knitting needles. This angular relationship of the yarn guides and knitting needles causes difiiculties in the formation of yarn loops about the needles, and the number of guide bars capable of being installed on a hanger is limited thereby.

It is a primary object of the instant invention to avoid the afore-described difficulties encountered in raschel knitting machines having a very great number of guide bars. A concomitant object is the provision of a raschel machine capable of effectively using more guide bars than have been practical heretofore.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It has now been found that the afore-described difficulties during formation of loops on raschel machine having thirty or more guide bars can be avoided, and that an unprecedented number of guide bars can be used successfully, if the hanger is not mounted on a rocker shaft, as heretofore, but is mounted on a parallelogram suspension in a four-bar linkage arrangement.

Such an arrangement includes two links, each link having spaced first and second terminal portions, a pair of first pivots, and a pair of second pivots. The first pivots are spaced on the normally stationary machine frame and respectively hingedly connect the first terminal portions of the two links to the frame. The second pivots hingedly connect the second terminal portions of the links to respective spaced portions of the hanger in such a manner that the axes of the several pivots are transverse to the intended plane of swinging motion of the hanger. A motion transmitting train is interposed between the knitting machine drive and one of the elements of the four-bar linkage other than the frame for oscillating the links on the first pivots.

Other features, additional objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will readily be appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description of a preferred emp CC bodiment when considered in connection with the attached drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The sole figure of the drawing shows the guide bar swinging motion of a raschel knitting machine of the invention in fragmentary side elevation, and partly in section.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawing in detail, there is seen as much of an otherwise conventional raschel knitting machine as is needed for an understanding of this invention.

The hanger 1 of the illustrated guide bar swinging motion carries guide bars 2 which are elongated at right angles to the plane of the drawing and longitudinally movable on the hanger 1 in the usual manner. The guide bars 2 carry longitudinal rows of yarn guides 3, as is also conventional. Lugs 4, 4a at the two ends of the hanger 1 are connected by pivot pins 6, 6a to respective lower ends of two links 5, 5a. The upper ends of the links are attached to respective portions 10, 10a of the stationary machine frame, not otherwise shown, by pivot pins 6', 6'a. The axes of the several pivot pins are parallel, the spacing of the pivot pins 6, 6a is equal to the spacing of the pivot pins 6', 6'a, and the spacing of the pins 6, 6 is equal to the spacing of the pins 6a, 6'11. The frame, partly represented by the portions 10, 10', the hanger 1, and the links 5, 5a thus jointly constitute a four-bar linkage or a parallelogram suspension for the guide bars 2.

An arm 7 is fixedly fastened to the link 5a at the pivot pin 6'a in the manner in which the usual guide bar swing lever is attached to the rocking shaft carrying the hangers in conventional raschel machines. The arm 7 is pivoted on the pin 6'a by the usual motion transmitting train of which only a connecting rod 8 is shown, the conventional motion transmitting train and its drive being otherwise as shown by D. F. Paling in Warp Knitting Technology (2nd ed., Columbine Press, Manchester, England, 1965) on page 244, FIG. 181.

Obviously, any element of the four-bar linkage other than the frame itself may be attached to the arm 7 to achieve the same result, namely a movement of the hanger 1 whose predominant component is horizontal, or perpendicular to the non-illustrated knitting needles. The vertical component, longitudinal of the knitting needles, is either negligible, or it may be compensated by corresponding movement of the needles achieved in an obvious manner, not shown. The angular relationship of the yarn guides relative to any reference line fixed on the machine frame remains unaltered during movement of the hanger.

While only a relatively small number of guide bars 2 has been illustrated in the drawing in order not to crowd the same, a raschel knitting machine of the invention has been operated successfully with forty guide bars on a common hanger.

What is claimed is:

1. In a guide bar swinging motion for a raschel knitting machine having a stationary frame, a hanger, a plurality of elongated guide bars carrying guides and mounted on said hanger, and actuating means including drive means for moving said hanger on said frame in a plane transverse of the direction of elongation of said guide bars, the improvement in the actuating means which comprises:

(a) two links, each link having a first terminal portion and a second terminal portion spaced from said first portion;

(b) two first pivot means spaced on said frame and respectively hingedly connecting said first terminal portions to said frame;

second terminal portions to respective spaced portions of said hanger,

(1) said pivot means having respective axes transverse of said plane, v

(2) said links, said hanger, and said frame jointly constituting the elements of a four-bar linkage; and

(d) motion transmitting means interposed between said drive means and one of the elements of said fourbar linkage other than said frame for oscillating said links on said first pivot means. v

2. In a motion as set forth in claim 1, the spacing of the axes of said first pivot means on said frame being equal to the spacing of the axes of said second pivot 15 means on said hanger.

3. In a motion as set forth in claim 2, the spacing of the axes of the corresponding first and second pivot means being equal on each of said links.

4. In a motion as set forth in claim 1, said one element of said four-bar linkage being one of said links.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,205,684 9/1966 Liebchen 66-87 FOREIGN PATENTS 802,243 6/ 1936 France.

RONALD FELDBAUM, Primary Examiner 

